At the present time, the practice of selling hot drinks, such as coffee or tea, and colds drinks of the carbonated beverage type in fast-food restaurants, milk bars, delicatessen stores, and similar places, is becoming more and more wide-spread. Such decanters ordinarily include a receptacle of a heat-insulating material, such as an appropriate plastic, and a cover which is detachably mounted on the receptacle with a sealing fit. This cover is formed with a drinking opening adjacent its periphery and a relief vent also adjacent the periphery of the cover but positioned diametrically opposite to the drinking opening. A valve is associated with the drinking opening and a valve member carrying an O-ring with the vent.
It is highly desirable that the relief vent be opened before the drinking opening opens so as to permit the escape of steam or other gas before the drinking opening is opened.
Examples of this type of decanter or drinking vessel are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,967,748; 3,972,443; and 3,964,631, all issued to Kenneth J. Albert. The devices of all of these patents may be classified as providing some form of a lost-motion connection between the valve member at the relief vent and the valve at the drinking opening so that the vent is opened in advance of the drinking opening. It may be stated as a general rule that all of these patented devices are highly complex and costly to manufacture. In at least one of them, separate springs are provided for maintaining the drinking valve and valve for the relief vent normally closed.
In the application of Jody C. Numbers, Ser. No. 759,142, filed Jan. 14, 1977, for "Drinking Receptacle Valve Means," there is disclosed a decanter of this general type in which both valves are normally maintained closed by a leaf spring, with the lost-motion connection included to insure that the vent will be open in advance of the drinking opening. However, the device of this application is also somewhat complex and is costly to produce.
The present invention is founded on the belief that a decanter of the character aforesaid, which includes an operating unit having a valve member for the vent, a valve for the drinking opening, together with means for opening these valves in the required sequence order and which is highly simplified so that it may be manufactured at low cost, will meet with wide public acceptance.